Lubricating system and apparatus



'June 24, 1930.

E. w. DAVIS LUBRICATING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS @fra 627/102 rnems Fild Nov. 11. 1927 )311 Y Jig/.e

Patented .fune 24,

' UNITI-:D STATES PATENT OFI-ica ERNEST W. DAVIS, F OAK PARE, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOE '1.0` A LEMITE'CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE LUBRIGATING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS Application l'edN'ovember 11, 1927. Serial No. 232,549.

My invention relates to lubricating systems and apparatus suitable for lubricating a plurality of bearings from a single source, and more particularly to an improved condult arrangement whereby the operation of the system may be readily observed. It is an object of my invention to provide .an improved measuring .valve system for lubricating a plurality of bearings, in which an indication of the'completion of the operation of the measuring valves in the system is readily observable to the operator.

A further object is to provide a fitting for use in a progressive or series lubricating system in which the necessity for one of the measuring valvesis eliminated and which makes possible an indication, at the point wherethe lubricant is supplied to the system, to apprise the operator that suiiicient lubricant has been forced into the system.

' Other objects will appear from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, the single figure illustrating the system of my invention as used with three bearings, portions of the apparat s being shown in section.

hile I have shown my invention as applied to three bearings; it will be understood that the system is designed for lubricating any number of bearings and that the three shown are thus to' be considered as illustrative of a larger number. The present invention is a modification of the system and apparatus shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 219,837, led September 16, 1927.

In the drawing I have shown a system of my invention applied to three bearings, 2, 4, and 6, which may be located some distances apart on the machine to be lubricated. Av

double L fitting 8 is threaded in the bearing 2 and has a laterally extending boss 10 which is adapted to receive a'high pressure lubricant receiving nipple 12, which is illustrated as having a transverse coupling pin 14, and which is customarily referred to as a pin tting. The nip le also has a spring pressed ball closure 16 w opening in the end of the bore which extends longitudinally of the ni ple and which communicates with the L slihped duct 18 in the briefly described herein.

' under high pressure.

ich is adapted to seal the fitting 8. Duct 18 is connected by conduit 20 to a measuring device 22 threaded in bearing 4. This measuring device is fully disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application above referred to and will be but he measurin device 22 comprises an axially' bored bo y 24 closed by a head 26 to which the conduit 20 is connected in any suitable manner. A piston valve 28, having a hemispherical knob 30 at the center of its top, is freely reciprocable within the bore of the body 24 and is normally pressed upwardly by a spring 32, with its knob 30 closing a passage 34 formed in the head 26. A gasket 36 is positioned at the. lower end of the bore of the body 24 and forms a seat for the lower edge of the skirt portion of the piston valve 28. There is sufficient clearance between the skirt portion of the valve 28 and the cylindrical bore in which it is adapted to reciprocate to permit slow passage of lubricant. This clearance is exaggerated in the drawing. An outlet passage 38 is adapted to be connected b a conduit 40 to the measuring device assoelated with the next bearing of the series to be lubricated, here illustrated as leading to the measuring device 22 which is threaded into bearing 6. The measuring device attached to the last bearing of the series to be lubricated (here illustrated as 22') is connected by a conduit 42 to the L shaped duct 44 in the fitting 8, which duct leads to the first bearing 2 of the series.

Assuming that all of the measuring valves and conduits are filled with a lubricant such 'as grease or oil, and the piston valves 28 of the measuring devices 22 and 22 are at the upper end of their strokes with their knobs 30. sealing the inlet passa es 84, the operation of the system will be as ollows. A suitable lubricant compressor is coupled to the pin fitting 12 and lubricant forced into the system As soon as the pressure is built up suiiiciently to overcome the pressure exerted by the spring 32 of the device 22, the valve 28 will be forced downwardly. Since the area of the knob30, which is the only portion of the valve initiallyexposed to the lubricant pressure, is very much smaller than the total area of the top of the' piston valve 28, a much greater pressure will e necessary to start movementof the valve 28 than will be required to continue forcing it downwardly a'fter the entire topl surface of the piston valve is exposed to t e lubricant under high pressure. The valve will thus have a rapid downward movement making it impossible for any appreciable quantity of lubricant to by-pass around the valve 28 to the bearin but instead, all of the lubricant beneath t e valve 28 will be forced under hi h pressure into the bearing 4. When the va ve reaches the lower endof its stroke, its skirt portion will seal against the gasket 38 thus to prevent the possibility of lubricant leakin past the `valve-to the bearings.

As t e valve 28 approaches the lower end of its stroke it uncovers the outlet port 38, permitting lubricant to iow through the conduit 40 to the next measuring device (22') of the series. Since it requires a much greater lubricant pressure to unseat the pistonvalve in the measuring device 22 than to maintain the valve 28 of the measuring device 22 at the lower end of its stroke, the latter valve will remain seated upon this gasket 36 until lthe pressure is relieved. The device-22 will,

o'f course, operate in a manner similar to that described with reference to device 22, as w1ll any number of the devices which may be connected in series. The last device of the series, here illustrated as dev-ice 22, connected by the conduit 42 to the fitting 8, will permit passage of lubricant to this conduit and hence to the passage 44 tothe bearing 2. The operator will watch the bearing 2 as he forces lubricant into the nipple 12 and as soon as grease is extruded from this bearing will have a visual indication that suflicient lubricant has, been supplied to the system and that all of the measuring devices have operated satisfactorily. If desired the shaft in the bearing 2 may have a groove 46 cut in its surface (or the groove may be in the bearing) to aid 1n permitting passage of lubricant to that end of the bearing adjacent the pin fitting l2 or such groove may be cut in thesurface of the bearing. When pressure is released the valves 28 will Vbe forced -upwardly by their springs 32, permitting the lubricant to bypass around the valves to the space thu formed beneath them.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatr variations thereof may be made without departure from the principles of the invention. For example, the measuring valves may be made of dijigerent sizes to supply different quantities dffjthe lubricant to the various bearings as they may require, and different types of measuring devices may be substituted in the system. I therefore desire the scope of my invention to be limited only by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a lubricating system of the class described, the combination of a plurality of machine bearings to be lubricated, a series of measuring devices adjacent each except one evice of the series and a second pas-.

whereby the completion of the operation of l the system will be indicated by the extrusion of lubricant from the bearing adjacent the iitting through which lubricant is supplied to the system.

2. In a system of the class described, the combination of a pluralityof bearings to be lubricated, lubricant apportioni devices associated with said bearings, con uits connecting said devices in series, and a fitting attached to'one of said bearings and taking the place'of one of said devices, said tting comprising means for making a quick detachable connection with the source of lubricant under pressure, means for connecting said last named means with the first device of the .series and connecting the last device of the seriesvwith the bearing to which the tting is attached whereby the completion of the operation of said devices may be indicated by the extrusion of 'lubricant from said last named bearing.

3. In a system of the class described, the combination of a plurality of bearings to be lubricated, series connected lubricant a portioning means associated with each o said bearings except one, and a fitting attached to said one bearing and having two independent passages therein, one of sald passages forming a portion of the conduit leadi from the source of lubricant supply to the rst device of theseries and the other leading from the last device of the series to the bearings to which the fitting is attached.

4. A fitting for use in a series progressive lubricating system 'comprising a body having one end threaded for attachmentto the first bearing of the series to be lubricated, two separate passages in said fittin a nipple adapted to receive lubricant undger pressure communicating with one of said passages,

of said second passage leading from said threaded end of the fitting.

. 5. A fitting for use in lubricating systems comprising a body having two separate passageways therethrough, means to supply lubricant under pressure to one of said pas- Sageways, means to connect the other passageway to a part to be lubricated, and means to connect said passageways with lubricant transmitting conduits.

6. In a system of the class described, the combination of a plurality of bearings to be lubricated, series connected lubricant apporf tioning means associated with Said bearings, and a fitting having two independent passageways therein, one of said passageways forming a portion of the conduit leading from a source of lubricant supply to the first device of the series and the other passageway being connected to the last device of the series.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th d of November, 1927.

E NEST W. DAVIS. 

